Abstract
Agricultural activities, and in particular irrigation, are the main cause of water consumption in the world. Due to economic competition, large agro-food nations, such as the United States or France, have strongly contributed to the development of irrigation in order to raise their production. This strategy results in many problems of water management which are difficult to grasp. This situation is the cause of many clashes of interest between urban areas and zones of intensive agriculture, particularly in places where lack of water is transitory or permanent.